


Little Lost Gems

by Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Orphanage, Anxiety, Baby Steven Universe, Child Abuse, Cute Kids, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Friendship, Inspired by Petscop, Magic-Users, Magical Gay Babies, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pretty Magic-y Stuff, Rain, Slice of Life, kiddos, sad kids, so much rain, sorry my dudes, wow these tags are everywhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-07 23:32:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14092128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse/pseuds/Dark_Mage_of_Ylisse
Summary: On the outside? A simple orphanage for little girls. On the inside, in the back rooms, a hell.Rose Quartz and her Husband, Greg, are going to have a LOT of work on their hands, especially as they find out the girls' secrets.





	1. The House

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for child abuse.  
> Please remember to comment if you like it, and have a great day!

Bella sat quietly as always, watching out from the window sill as rain poured down. Miss Yellow Diamond was out there again with Lapis. The tiny girl sobbed and cried as Miss Yellow forced her to stand in the rain. Bella strained her ears, listening for what the scary woman was saying to her friend.

 

“Stop crying you little bitch, if you really wanted to go back inside you’d do as your told.” She told Lapis, who shivered and held her arms. They had been out there for half an hour, Lapis with bare feet and nothing more than her nightgown, which had to have soaked through by now…

 

“M-miss Diamond…. I-I can’t!” Lapis sobbed. “I can’t do it, I-I’m cold, please, I-I wanna go back inside!” Her teeth chattered and she coughed. Miss Yellow knelt down to be eye level with her. Bella gasped and covered her eyes.

But nothing could block out the sound of Miss Yellow slapping Lapis across the face, the blue haired child crying out in pain. It made Bella feel as though her blood had turned to ice. Lapis wailed as she was dragged back inside, Bella hid under a couch cushion, desperate to be ‘good’ and stay away from their caretaker. The tiny girl quivered as her friend sniffled and hiccuped, she could hear Lapis’ teeth chattering still. The poor girl must have been freezing.

 

“You don’t want to behave?” Miss Yellow asked, and apparently Lapis hadn’t verbally responded because Bella couldn’t hear her. “You know what you fucking brat?! Come here!” There was the sound of the blue haired girl squealing in terror as she was grabbed and dragged into the back of the building.

 

“I’M SORRY! I’LL BE GOOD, PLEASE MISS YELLOW I’LL BE GOOD!” Lapis screeched and cried as she was carried away. There was the sound of a door slamming, and Bella scrambled away into her bedroom. Well…. The girl’s bedroom. They all had to share the huge room, filled with beds and all sorts of toys. Bella picked up a few blocks before tossing them aside. She walked over to her best friend in the whole world, Limone.

 

Limone may have had a bit of a sassy and sour attitude, but once she warmed up to you she was sweet as could be. She had pale blonde hair and a little sundress covered in sunflowers and suns. She liked the color yellow as Bella liked the color blue. Bella even had blue hair, ever since she had been born it was a pale blue, like a robin egg. It made her special, that was what she thought anyway. She dusted off her denim shorts, the black leggings underneath needed to be cleaned, not to mention sewed up again, there was a big hole in the left knee. Limone sat peacefully with a small puzzle, Bella watching her put it together until a soft whine sounded from the other side of the room.

 

Peridot had woken up again, she was supposed to be sleeping. The teeny tiny girl had gotten no sleep last night, being forced by Miss White to do a test. Miss Blue had let her sleep, but she had to keep sleeping until dinner if she wanted to not have to do her testing again for a while. She was probably hungry now, and dinner wasn’t for another 2 hours…

 

“Peridot?” Bella called. “Are you hungry?”

 

“Yes.” Peridot said quietly. “I’m starving, I haven’t had breakfast or lunch, do… Do you guys have anything?” She sounded so pitiful, poor thing hadn’t had any food all day. Sometimes, very rarely, the children were allowed to have a snack. Bella wouldn’t dare ask Miss Yellow, but… If she was here, she could find Miss Blue and ask her for a little bit of food.

 

“We’ll go ask Miss Blue, okay?’ Limone told her, and Peridot nodded. Her soft fluffy blonde hair was a mess as always, her black nightgown had little green bows on it, the same as the one in her hair, a clip to keep her bangs from falling into her eyes and bothering her.

 

Peridot was the youngest of the bunch, and had been here almost all her life. She was 9 years old, and had been put into the orphanage when she still needed to be bottle fed. Her mom had passed away when Peridot was born, and her dad couldn’t take care of her, so she had been sent to this orphanage before she had even turned 1.

 

Oddly enough, she did have some family. Amethyst and Jasper, the two sisters, were her cousins. Those two had come here because their mother couldn’t handle losing her sister, Peridot’s mother. She couldn’t take care of herself, let alone 2 little girls, and had left them here.

 

“Bella, are you coming? Come on, let’s go.” Limone took her hand and walked out of the bedroom with her. “I thought I heard Miss Blue earlier. She must be in her room, right?”

 

The blue haired girl nodded and went up the stairs, liking the way Limone’s pale hand fit in her dark one. There were other children here, but they were kept in a different part of the building. Boys and girls in a different half of the orphanage, who were treated just as badly, but at least were adopted. They were actually wanted by people, not Bella and her friends.

 

Miss Blue was the kindest adult they knew here, she loved them, and let them have toys, naps, snacks, and would hold them. Carefully, Limone knocked on the tall lady’s door. “Miss Blue?”

 

It opened, and the woman stepped out. “Are you alright little ones?” Miss Blue asked, her voice gentle and loving as she knelt down to see them. “Do you need anything?”

 

Limone looked over at Bella, who pushed her bangs away from her dark violet eyes. “Peridot’s really hungry, she woke up a few minutes ago, and she wants to have a snack.”

 

The soft-hearted woman nodded, and smiled. “That sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you all have something to eat, hm? I imagine you’re all hungry too, aren’t you?” She asked, and unlike with Miss White, she didn’t ask trick questions that got you in trouble. She was honest with them, and didn’t want to punish them.

 

The two little girls walked down the stairs together, still holding each other’s hands. Amethyst and Garnet were playing together in their living room (there was one for every set of kids) building a little castle of blocks from the bedroom. Jasper sat on the couch, curled up quietly. Pearl watched from the bedroom doorway, a little too scared to come out. Miss Blue smiled sweetly at them. “Children, come here please.”

 

All of them did, even the sleepy Peridot had gotten out of her bed and walked up to the elegant woman. “Yes Miss Blue?”

 

Their caretaker laughed. “Children, you know that if you wish to, you can simply call me Azura. I…” She trailed off, looking around. “Where’s Lapis?”

 

Bella’s heart pounded in her chest as Lapis’ screams still rang in her mind. “M-miss Yellow put her in the back room…” She stammered, and watched Azura’s gentle gaze turn angry.

 

“Well now, that simply isn’t right. Come along everyone, let’s go and get her.”

 

Peridot gasped and dashed off in front of everyone to get to the back. Lapis was her best friend, the two were practically attached to each other. Peridot often crawled into Lapis’ bed at night to snuggle up to her. Azura grabbed a key out of her pocket and unlocked the small door that led to what had once been a broom closet.

 

There, shivering in the corner from something other than the cold, was Lapis. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she hiccuped and coughed. The room was dimly lit, with mirrors all over the walls, one on the floor too. The blue haired girl was rocking herself in the corner, knees held tightly to her chest as she hyper… Hyper… Hyperventilated? Was that the word?

 

Bella watched as Azura scooped Lapis up into her arms, quickly bringing the crying child out into the hall. “Shh, shh, shh dear it’s okay now, it’s okay, you’re alright. Oh Lapis it’s okay now, you’re all safe. Don’t cry lovely, the mirrors are gone now, see?”

 

Lapis lifted her head from Azura’s shoulder. The white haired woman had knelt down again, all the girls crowding her. The door had been shut tight. The little girl let out a choked sob. “I couldn’t do what she said, I-I couldn’t do it…”

 

Azura patted her back, “It’s alright Lapis, you don’t have to now. Come on sweetheart, you’re soaking wet, let’s get you changed and dried off before you catch a cold.” She said to the child to try and calm her down. “Jasper dear, could you please grab a towel for her?”

 

“Yes ma'am.” Said Jasper, who made her way over to the cabinet. She grabbed a fluffy pink towel, and Azura wrapped it around Lapis.

 

“Thank you.” The blue haired girl murmured as she was carried into the bedroom. She was placed on her bed, Peridot scrambling up onto it to hug her tightly. “H-hi Peri.”

 

“Lapis you’re freezing!” Peridot squawked, “I can feel it through the towel… I’ll keep you warm though!” Said the blonde, who kept a good hold on her. Azura gently dried and brushed Lapis’ hair before giving her some warm clothes. A bright blue t-shirt and navy blue skirt, along with grey knee high socks.

 

“I’ll go get you all a plate of fruit and vegetables, okay? Stay in here, all of you.” Azura told them, and walked out of the room. Bella and Pearl pulled blankets and pillows off their beds, Jasper building a little fort for them all to sit in.

 

The all huddled together inside it, soaking up each other’s warmth. Bella sat in-between Pearl and Limone, the three friends had lived near each other before they had come here. Next to Pearl sat Amethyst, who sat with her bigger sister Jasper. Jasper was beside her little (emphasis on little, Bella thought with a snicker) cousin, watching her and making sure she was okay. Peridot had dark circles under her eyes, but was definitely awake enough to hold Lapis close, squeezing her and making sure she wasn’t still scared. Beside Lapis was Garnet, who seemed to just be letting her mind wander.

 

That is, until Garnet spoke up. “We need to be ready.” She told them. “A storm is coming.”


	2. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kiddos remember the past, and think about the future.

They waited patiently for Azura to get back with their snacks. Jasper looked at Garnet, bewildered with what the black haired girl said. "What, you mean the rain's gonna get worse?"

She nodded. "Something like that."

From the other side of their fort, Limone squeaked in fear. If a thunderstorm came, it would be her turn for testing. They all hated the tests, Jasper hated hers a lot, forced to work all day out in the hot sun, Yellow hissing at her to work faster or she wouldn't be given lunch. All the times she'd been hit for no reason... She hated living here, she missed her mom. 

Why had her mother given her up? Why couldn't she take care of Jasper and Amethyst? Or even take Peridot in? Jasper knew money had been a problem, but she hadn't known it was it was that bad... She would have helped, maybe helping the neighbours out for extra cash, she was strong enough to shovel snow, or help paint things, she'd even rake leaves or walk dogs! 

Instead, she'd been left here soon after her mother had dropped off Peridot. It had been a little hard to explain as to why her cousin looked so different, something about "genes"? Jasper was a little jealous of her younger cousin, her hair didn't grow very fast, she didn't have to keep having her bangs cut so she could see.

Another person she was jealous of? Well, it was every single child in the front of the orphanage. It was happier there, they got to run around in a big front yard, and were much more free than Jasper and her friends.

Amethyst snuggled up to her, sighing sleepily and hugging the bigger girl around her waist. Jasper put an arm around her younger sister and gave a gentle squeeze, she was a lot stronger than she looked. 

From a different spot, Pearl spoke up. "Do you guys think... That anyone will adopt us?" She asked, before adding, "I always try to think happy thoughts but we've been here for so long, it's hard..."

"I think someone might come and take one of us at least." Limone peeped, "They'd probably take Amethyst, or Bella, or Peridot. Adults always go for the cute little ones..." It was true, and Amethyst's chance of being adopted were probably going to be even higher tomorrow, it was her birthday.

Peridot let out a growl, "I'm not little. And I'm not cute. Besides, we're bad kids anyways, nobody wants to be a parent to bad kids!" 

They all went silent again after that, before Lapis snickered softly. "We are bad, aren't we? I did the finger thing that Miss Pink always used to do." She explained before holding up a hand and curling all her fingers down, all but the middle one. "I don't know what it means but it makes Miss Yellow really REALLY angry with me when I do it." The 10 year old told them.

Miss Pink had been good to them, always getting the children sugary treats and telling them tales of explorers going on daring adventures, going through jungles, crossing oceans, or climbing mountains like the one near the village. Jasper always loved those stories, and when she was older she had wanted to go on an adventure. She wanted to see the temple that was on top of the mountain, it was her dream. 

The Snow Temple was apparently built by humans with the help of the gods, bestowing powers onto them to give them strength, along with the abilities they could use to help each other. But mankind became greedy, and began to fight using their gifts. The gods took their powers away, only bestowing them onto those who would use them for good. 

Well, that was how the story went anyways.  
POV SHIFT- Peridot

She giggled as she walked through the flower garden, bright sunflowers, tulips, and lillies all grew here, the colors making the young girl happy as could be. The little garden had been around longer than the tiny child had been alive, one of her first memories had been here, sitting with Miss Blue and having a box full of pretty rocks to play with. Apparently she shared a name with them too. 

Peridot ran giddly through the flowers, enjoying the sunshine. It rained an awful lot sometimes, and though rain could be good too, it didn't compare. Peridot held her hand out to a flower and watched a tiny ladybug crawl onto her finger. Gently, not wanting to hurt it, she set it down on a leaf. 

The blonde child took another few steps before accidentally catching on a vine, and falling onto the ground. Peridot let out a sharp squeal of pain as her knee slammed into the ground, getting a small scrape thanks to a rock.

Peridot took a few gasping breaths before a few tears slipped down her face, she was used to pain, but that didn't mean she could tolerate it. The blonde let out shaky little sobs and whimpers as she held her knee. 

"Peri? Are you okay?" She heard a voice ask, and saw Lapis heading up to her carrying a small watering can. "What happened?" 

Hiding her face in embarrassment, Peridot answered."I tripped and fell, I hurt my knee..." She murmured quietly.

Lapis nodded and knelt down beside her. Slowly, using the watering can she'd been holding, she washed away the dirt on the younger girl's leg. The blue haired child gave her a soft hug, squeezing her tight before she lifted her fingertips to cup Peridot's face. The blonde began to giggle as her tears went away, it was a special little trick Lapis had that always worked.

But Lapis was being called in by Miss Blue now to make sure she was doing her chores, and Peridot watched as the older girl ran away. One day when the blonde was older, she was going to marry Lapis Lazuli.


End file.
